Outdoor enthusiasts and military personnel that carry their own equipment, often for extended periods of time, need their equipment to be lightweight, suitable for compact storage and easy to set up and use. Most users will also require that the cooking stove is cost-effective. In certain situations, such users would also prefer that the stove is disposable.
In considering the weight of a portable cooking stove, the weight of the cooking vessels and fuel required to heat water or food must also be considered. To limit the weight of the cooking vessel, the user must often purchase cooking vessels made from specialist materials that are heat-resistant and lightweight. This of course provides an additional economic burden to the user. The cooking vessel will also take up further storage space.
Environments that do not offer a source of fuel, such as dried wood, are frequently encountered, requiring the prudent user to also carry their own fuel. To assist with keeping weight down, solid-fuel blocks can be used, such as hexamine blocks, trioxane blocks, solidified methyl decanoate blocks or gelled alcohol packs. These blocks prevent the need for extra containers (as with gas or liquid fuels) or regulation equipment (pressure regulators or valves) and reduce the risk of fuel spillage or other accidental release. Certain solid fuels are waterproof, and further waterproof protection can be provided by means of a thin plastic wrapper.
Lightweight portable cooking stoves that can be dismantled and packed in a flat configuration are known in the prior art. Dismantling entails disassembly of the stove into multiple separate and distinct components. These flat packed stoves therefore often require multiple steps by the user for full assembly. Vessels for heating the water or food are provided separately.
There is a need for portable cooking stoves and heating vessels that are lightweight and compact. There is also a need for a cooking stove that is fast and easy to set up.